Abstract

EASDALE, Marcos Horacio; AGUIAR, Martín R.; ROMAN, Marcela  and  VILLAGRA E., Sebastián. Socio-economic Comparison of two biophysical regions: livestock production systems from Río Negro Province, Argentina. Cuad. Desarro. Rural [online]. 2009, vol.6, n.62, pp.173-198. ISSN 0122-1450.

The design of differential policy for livestock production requires integrated analysis of social, economic and biophysical main aspects interacting in a region. The object of this article is to compare the agrarian structure of livestock production systems, located in the Monte Austral and Patagonia phytogeographic regions, Río Negro province. To study this heterogeneity, data from the national agricultural census 2002 was utilized, and an agrarian social type approximation was proposed. Four social types were constructed: i) entrepreneur, ii) capitalized familiar, iii) smallholder and iv) not capitalized not familiar. It is highlighted the predominance of smallholders in the whole study area, but they represent larger proportions in the Patagonian region compared to the Monte Austral. In Patagonia there is a dominance of sheep in production systems while cattle in Monte region, mainly in capitalized family farms, are more the dominant production systems. Efficiency analysis indicates that capitalized social types form both regions had the most extensive production systems, in relation to labor and relative investment. Those results are discussed highlighting differentiated policy design and technological development for each case.

Keywords : Agrarian typology; Family production; Livestock policy; Northern Patagonia; Arid and semiarid regions; social-ecological systems.

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